Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the petroleum field and, in particular, to identifying abnormal pumpjack conditions.
Description of the Related Art
A pumpjack (also called an oil horse, or jack pump) is the over-ground drive for a reciprocating piston pump in an oil well. There are millions of pumpjacks all over the world. The conditions of pumpjacks are directly linked to the speed and quality of oil production. A Pressure-Volume diagram (or indicator diagram) is an effective way to identify problems with a pumpjack. The shape of the diagram shows the details of the pumpjack conditions. However, reading the Pressure-Volume diagram not only requires a lot of experience, but it is also a time consuming process. Thus, it is a costly and time consuming endeavor to monitor the conditions of pumpjacks.